Allan Cup loss big disappointment
The Royals had little time to rest and savour their victory because less than a week after winning the Herder they were engaged in the national Allan Cup playoffs.
Luckily, they did not have to travel far. It had been decided earlier in the season that the Newfoundland entry would have home ice in the playoffs for as long as they remained victorious in their respective series.
The Royals would play all of their best three of five Eastern Canada semi-final series games against former N.S.H.L. scoring ace Jacques Allard's Riverview (New Brunswick) Trappers in Humber Gardens. One drawback to home ice was that the C.B.H.A. were responsible for the expenses of both teams. Ticket prices had to be raised to a whopping $10 per game and Gorman said that if the Royals were to win in three straight they would need at least 2,000 spectators at each game in order to reach the "break-even point". They did not break even in the first series. Though the diehard fans lined up for 12 hours in order to get tickets overall attendance sagged.
The community got behind the Royals in their quest
However, low attendance says nothing of the Royals calibre of play in the games. With newly acquired talent from the Jets in the form of Cal and Gary Dunville, Zane Forbes, Jeff Leverman, and former Royal Bruce Campbell, Corner Brook came from behind to win the first two contests and totally outplayed the hapless Trappers in game three to sweep the series. After the final match, Kevin Gaudette of the Riverview team likened their play against the Royals to a college team competing against N.H.L. professionals. Corner Brook seemed to be getting better as the season progressed. They had won five in a row dating back to game five of the Herder finals.
The next series was the Eastern Canadian finals and it was a best four of seven games affair. The Bolton Memorial Trophy would be awarded to the victor, and no previous Newfoundland team had ever won it. The Royals opposition were the Dundas-Hamilton Tigers from Ontario. In fact, the Bolton had been in that province since 1968. The particularly astute reader may recall that the 1967-68 Eastern Canada finals went to Victoriaville after they defeated Dorrington's Royals, and the honour of being the best Eastern Senior hockey team in the nation had remained in Ontario from that point on.
The Tigers could not continue the streak. All of the games were hard fought and attended by capacity crowds, but the Royals took the series, and the province's first ever Bolton Memorial Trophy, in four straight games. Hockey fans on the island knew that Corner Brook had a number of players that could blow a game wide open and Tony Cuomo proved to be the star of the series topping all players in scoring. Defenceman Bill Breen provided a comical and simple explanation for his team's growing win streak. In the locker room after their game four victory Breen quipped, "the beer tastes better when you win. And we love the beer, so we win."
Coming from a second place finish in the N.S.H.L. regular season the Royals were on the verge of the national championship and a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Their final obstacle were the Thunder Bay Twins.
Whereas the Royals were inexperienced in Allan Cup play, the Twins had won the year before and were looking to become the first team to repeat as champions since the Moncton Hawks in 1933 and 1934. It would not be easy for either squad. Thunder Bay had come back from a two to nothing series deficit to beat the St. Boniface Mohawks in the Western semi-finals, and had just barely edged out the Spokane Chiefs in game seven after trailing three games to one in the Western final. The Twins had played five more games than the Royals and also had to travel across the country to Corner Brook and play the entire set at Humber Gardens. A confident Cliff Gorman said before the start of the series, "they are going to have a hell of a time to beat us." Throughout Corner Brook gas stations, night clubs, fast food outlets, and homes were decorated with team colours and slogans like "Go Royals Go!" and "Go All The Way Royals!" The whole city was behind them.
Heroes of the Past
The following is a list of players who performed for Corner Brook in provincial senior hockey competition since play for the Herder Memorial Trophy began in 1935.
1983-84 Royals: (Defeated in Herder Finals by Stephenville)
Steve Robson (Playing-Coach), Steve Gallant, Tony Cuomo, Danny Cuomo, Winston Taylor, Richard Blakey, Rob Brown, Terry Bakken, Joe Lundrigan, Craig Kennedy, Ed Kearsey, Steve Dunne, Byron Rideout, Terry Gillam, Jeff Regular, Craig Scott, Darren McWhirter, Gordie Caines, Doug King, Tony White, Tim Cranston, Wayne Dort
1984-85 Royals: (Herder Champions, defeated Stephenville in six games, won the Bolton Trophy) Mike Anderson (Coach), Kevin McCarthy, Whitney Richardson, Tony White, Tony Cuomo, Brad Fisher, Doug King, Ed Kearsey, Stan Hennigar, Terry Gillam, Steve Dunne, Kirk Johnson, Dan Cormier, Bob O'Neill, Ray Baird, Steve Gallant, Craig Kennedy, Dave Matte, Greg Hickey
1985-86 Royals: (Herder Champions, defeated Stephenville in six games, won Allan Cup)
Mike Anderson (Coach), Terry Gillam (Assistant-Coach), Rob Forbes, Gilbert Longpre, Ken Mercer, Todd Stark, Darryl Ulrich, Tim Cranston, Mark Jeffries, Dave Matte, Tony Cuomo, Dan Cormier, Stan Hennigar, Mac Tucker, Bill Breen, Bob O'Neill, Craig Kennedy, Byron Rideout, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin Lundrigan, Ray Baird, Don Bennett, Steve Gallant.
In game one the Royals notched an easy 9-5 victory and Dave Matte came up big in the second contest with a 3-0 overtime shutout. Corner Brook won game three by the same score as the first and it was beginning to look like yet another sweep. Cal Dunville and Tony Cuomo were the big goal scorers. By this time the Royals had won twelve straight games dating back to the end of March. Many of the fans that packed Humber Gardens night after night and even some of the players were in disbelief. They were one win away from the Allan Cup. Coach Mike Anderson was not surprised however. He attributed the Royals success to their tenacity, teamwork, and never say die attitude. After game three he said, "We're not fancy but we have the muckers and grinders."
Thunder Bay rallied to take game four edging the Royals 4-2. Unfortunately for Corner Brook Tony White, the assistant coach and arguably the backbone of the team, went down with torn ligaments and was out for the remainder of the series. The Twins slaughtered the Royals 8-3 in game five, and afterwards Thunder Bay's coach Ron Busniuk predicted that his team would win the series in seven. Even though Corner Brook was getting great efforts by players like Zane Forbes, the series leading scorer, it must have seemed like they had lost the winning spark.
The next evening Twins goaltender Andy Stoesz had the hot hand. He blanked the Royals 2-0 deadlocking the series at three games apiece. The pivotal game seven began much like the fifth with the Twins jumping out to a commanding 4-1 lead after the first two periods. The Royals fought back in the third to close the gap to one but they could not tie the game. Thunder Bay took the deciding contest 5-4 winning their second Allan Cup in as many years. Andy Stoesz was awarded the series M.V.P. for his gutsy performance between the pipes.
Corner Brook fans were shocked at the 3-0 comeback, virtually unheard of in sports let alone a finals series, but they, and indeed all hockey fans on the island, were still immensely proud of their team. Just two seasons before there were no Royals and now they were second in all of Canada. Though obviously disappointed, the players were given a bonus for their efforts and the C.B.H.A. were left to ponder the loss during the summer.
In September of 1985 Cliff Gorman stated that the city was "going to ice a competitive team." Apparently, the other three team in the N.S.H.L. had the same idea. Spurred on by the Royals success in the previous season the Jets, Mariners, and revamped St. John's Capitals began to stack their teams with imports, hoping for not only a provincial championship but a run at the Canadian title as well.
A number of players who were instrumental in the Royals "Drive In '85" did not return to the team. Tony White, Whitney Richardson, Steve Dunne, Doug King, Brad Fisher and Greg Hickey opted not to play for Corner Brook, and captain Terry Gillam decided to retire from play after 15 years.
Gillam did help other local players like new team captain Craig Kennedy, Byron Rideout, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin Lundrigan, Ray Baird, Don Bennett, and Steve Gallant get a pay raise however. Mike Anderson appointed Gillam assistant coach as well. The talented imports Dave Matte, Dan Cormier, Tony Cuomo, and Stan Hennigar remained on the team, and in the preseason the C.B.H.A. also enlisted the help of rearguard Gilbert Longpre from the defunct Cataracts, and 22 year old Robbie Forbes from Halifax.
Financially, the C.B.H.A. were in excellent shape. After the hugely successful Allan Cup semis and finals at Humber Gardens the association was actually in the black for the first time in almost 10 years. The total expenditure for 84-85 was almost $290,000. Over $100,000 went to pay the imports and the rest went towards travel expenses in the N.S.H.L. season, pay for local players, running the national playoffs, and looking after the visiting teams.
The Royals organization made $14,000 profit when all was said and done. The sale of holding seats at the stadium for the eagerly anticipated upcoming campaign was also a positive sign for the team. By mid-September almost all of the 1,200 reserved spots had been purchased at a price of $35 leaving only 400 seats available for the general public before each game.
However, it was understood that the upcoming season would not be as lucrative. The Royals would have to make several expensive trips to St. John's over the course of the regular season, and they also ended up with more paid players then they had in 84-85. Furthermore, the Allan Cup playoffs would take place on the mainland. That meant, of course, that the team would have to incur even higher travel costs. Nevertheless, the season got off to a much more auspicious start than its predecessor.
On the ice the Royals were playing well. Longpre rounded out the defensive corps, Matte was great as usual, and the number one forward line of Forbes, Cormier, and local Eddie Kearsey was arguably the best on the island. More players were brought in to Corner Brook in order to make the team even better. Todd Stark of the Cambridge Hornets of the Ontario senior league signed with the team, rookie Ken Mercer from Gander, and the familiar faces of Bob O'Neil and Bill Breen returned to the lineup. Another St. John's player that came with them was Mac Tucker.
After roughly half of the season the Royals were in second place only three points behind the Jets, and Robbie Forbes was leading the scoring race. In an exhibition early in the new year the Royals travelled to Thunder Bay for a two game rematch with the Twins. Ontario fans had not had a chance to see the Twins play the Royals and the exhibition series was meant to give them a taste of the previous years Allan Cup finals. Almost 7,000 people watched the contests, but they must have gone home disappointed. Corner Brook took both games easily, exacting a measure of revenge for the loss in 84-85.
(Continued next week)
The history of hockey in Corner Brook, researched by Neil White for the
Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame and covering the period from
the 1920s up to 1990, will appear on this website over the next 17 weeks.
The series of articles was first published in The Western Star from December
2000 to May, 2001.
To buy a reprint of this page as it appeared in The Western Star email [email protected].
